CONVENTION ADMINISTRATION - Manager of Guest, Convention, & Event Scheduling Services

Job Classification

  

Position summary

The Manager provides the leadership, strategic planning and the administration of processes and services devoted to the full spectrum of daytime and overnight guests to the campus, summer conventions, as well as serves as the 25Live functional scheduling and customer services manager. 

The Manager supervises one assistant manager, one custodial support staff member, and a team of students that provide 24/7 desk services to the guests of the University and are also cross trained to provide services to the residents of University Towers. 

Qualifications summary

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed in the full position description are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Experience and skills in administration, communication, marketing, financial management, customer service, conflict resolution, and computer literacy are required. 

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with limited disabilities to perform the essential functions.


Must be a Seventh-day Adventist in good and regular standing.

Duties and responsibilities

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 

The Manager, along with the support of the assistant manager, performs the following responsibilities and services. 

 

General Administration  

Directs the general and daily administration of reservations and accomodation for year-round guests of the University utilizing approximately 23 designated guest rooms and additional Burman Hall rooms for non-resident Masters/Doctoral students.

Directs the planning and daily administration of reservations and accomodations, in partnership with Lamson and Meier Hall administration for summer groups (conventions) from the point of inquiry, ongoing communications, and final contract negotiations.

Directs the processes to evaluate the needs and the implementation of providing optimum services for year-round University guests as well as for summer conventions.

Directs strategic planning, marketing, to maximize revenues in the context of University priorities.

Directs  public relations, and communications; serving as the lead liaison with key stakeholders including, campus & student Life, residence life,  administration,  parents, enrollment services, dining services, academic program directors, plant administration, guests, alumni, and other constituents. 

Directs processes to provide attractive and updated marketing information on the departmental web pages and other other communications venues.

Develops strategic plans for facility renovations and supervises the daily training, management, and coordination of all routine maintenance and housekeeping services to facilitate an optimum guest experience on campus.

Directs the financial management of two departmental budgets 1) Year-round Guestroom Budget  and the 2) Summer Convention Services Budget , within the established University guidelines, including budget preparation and management and makes recommendations  for renovations, equipment, and supplies as well as prepares pre and post summer income and expenditure projections. 

 

Day-Time Guest to Campus  

Directs and provides services for day-time guests to campus, including campus tours, packets of information etc.

 

25Live Scheduling 

Provides leadership to the University as a member of the team selecting and implementing centralized facility scheduling processes.

Provides, along with members of the 25Live team, campus on-boarding training to facilitate the adoption and utilization of the 25Live event scheduling

Provides ongoing customer service support for the campus centralized scheduling processes.

 

Supervision and Staff Development

Directs supervisory responsibilities, in accordance with Andrews University and Campus & Student Life mission, policies and applicable guidelines as well as principles of student development and Christian values, including staff selection and hiring; job description development; staff training and support; scheduling and directing work; appraising performance; motivating and affirming staff and student employees; addressing complaints; and resolving problems.

Supports the work of an assistant manager that includes staff scheduling to ensure the  the provision of the daily departments needs and services., 

Shares an evening and weekend on-call rotational schedule with the assistant manager.

Directs, administers, supports and intentionally seeks to build morale with all staff in the operational tasks that include guest lodging reservations and security systems; desk receptionists; laundry; guest mail, housekeeping and maintenance services; and accountability to established guidelines. 

 

Assessment

Develops and implements the formal and informal assessment strategies and opportunities for guest feedback to facilitate continuous quality improvement for the guest experience on campus and the outcomes desired by the University.

 

Professional Development

Maintains professional growth through involvement in professional organizations and other developmental activities. 

 

Committee Chair and Representation

Directs and Chairs the Guest and Convention Planning Committee.

Serves as a member of Campus & Student Life professional team, Andrews Campus 25Live Scheduling Committee, GC or Pathfinder Days Planning Committee and serves on other committees as assigned.

Supervisory responsibilities

The Manager supervises one assistant manager , one custodial support staff member, and a team of students that provide 24/7 desk services to the guests of the University and are also cross trained to provide services to the residents of University Towers.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Experience and skills in administration, communication, marketing, financial management, customer service, conflict resolution , and computer literacy are required. 

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with limited disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE: A Bachelor's degree is required.  An MBA or previous experience/background in business, marketing,  hotel management or other types of management, guest or conference services strongly desired.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Excellent English language and communication skills are required to be able to effectively interface with a wide variety of entities including administration, colleagues, faculty, staff, students, parents and the general public. These skills must include an advanced  ability to read and analyze, write reports, correspondence, and procedure manuals.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS: Excellent mathematical skills are required, which include basic calculation skills, the ability to read, interpret and develop budget reports that are necessary to perform the financial and facility management aspects of this position.

REASONING ABILITY: Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills are required to have the sound judgment to make critical decisions quickly and efficiently as necessary to meet guest/conference needs. The ability to interpret a variety of instructions (written, oral, schedules, etc.) is necessary. Also necessary is the ability to multi-task and sort through a variety of variables toward prioritizing and completing work in a timely fashion.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS: While employed in this position this individual should be an active participant in professional Hospitality and related organizations.


Must be a Seventh-day Adventist in good and regular standing.

Technical competencies

An advanced  knowledge of and successful experience with computer applications, spreadsheets, word processing including Microsoft Office Suite, Google Docs, presentation software required. Experience with hoteling, reservations & scheduling software preferred.

Interpersonal interactions

CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS: Excellent interpersonal skills are vital in building strong cooperative relationships with guests as well as internal and external entities. Must be comfortable interacting with guests, on-campus and off-campus partners, key stakeholders, and others consistent with a University setting. 

 

Physical demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by any employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to walk, stand, climb and to use the senses of sight, touch, hearing, speech, and smell.

A strong physical stamina is required to handle the stress of multiple responsibilities and critical decisions that impact student lives.  Secondly this position will demand intensive, 7 day work weeks that averages 50 hours per week and may often require 60-70 hours per week, with late night hours and frequent interruptions from sleep and personal time.

Work environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate, but can be high. Frequent interruptions, noise, and high traffic are common and privacy is limited.